Burial casket



l R. A. MATHESON BURIAL GASKET Filed F'b 23. 1925 .19M-mf Patented May 27, 1924.

UNITE" STATES ROBERT A. MATHESQN, or ennivnnnrns, Micrire-AN.,y

- BURIAL GASKET.

Application rfiled February 2S, 1.923. vSerial No. 620,607.

To all whom t may cof/wem Be it known that I, ROBERT A. MATHESON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Burial Gaskets, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to burial caskets; and its object is to provide such a casket having a top or cover comprising improved interrelatively xed and swingably mounted portions, together with a flexible member adapted to be turned into the interior of the casket and outwardly therefrom.

This and any other objects hereinafter appearing are attained by, and the invention Y finds preferable embodiment in, the casket hereinafter particularly described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which y Figure 1 is a side view of a burial casket, its near side being partially broken away and its top or cover being shown partially in central longitudinal vertical section taken on line 1-1 of Figure 3;

Figure 2 is an interior view of a middle part thereof, the relatively fixed portion of the top or cover being shown in central lonl gitudinal vertical section, and the swingably mounted portion of the top being shown in open position; and

Figure 8 is an end view of the same, partially sectioned however on a transverse plane corresponding to line 3-3 of Figure 1.

In the embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration by the drawings and for detailed description in the body of this specification, the burial casket has sides 1, 2, ends 3, 4, bottom 5, and a cover or topdesignated generally 6. This top comprises a portion 7 adjacent one end 4 of the casket having a body part 8 and a part 9 spaced below said body part and extending therefrom horizontally toward the other end 3 of the casket. The top 6 comprises also a portion 10 adjacent said end 3 of the casket and being swingably mounted at 11 adjacent the side 2 of the casket, so that it may be swung to open position seen in Figures 2 and 3 and to closed position seen in Figure 1, the tops portion 7 being thus fixed in position relatively to the swingable portion 10. This swingable portion extends horizontally toward the end 4 of the casket, and in its closed position its edge l2 meets the edge 18 of the body .part of theflixed portion ofthe top, and overlies the horizontally extending` part 9 of said fixed portion. It will be seen that by this construction the top 6 may be divided transversely into the two approximately equal portions 7 and 10 which meet (when the swingable portion 10 is closed) substantially in contact with each other, thus forming a close joint. It will also be seen that'the extension 9 of the fixed portion 7 forms a ledge whereby the closed swingable portion is supported, and also extends toward the end 3 of the casket far enough to conceal from View (when the swingable portion 10 is open) the lower or middle part of the body in the casket; and that nevertheless, when said swingable portion l() is open, practically the'entire half (adjacent the caskets end 3) of the top 6 appears to be open, for the kinner surface of this swingable portion 10 (including that part thereofiwhich in this portions closed position overlies the extended part 9 of the fixed portion 7) is visible, such surface being preferably covered with light-colored cloth or coating contrasting with the dark color of the outside of the casket.

A iexible member 14, as a sheet or curtain of cloth, is secured at one edge to the fixed po-rtion 7 of the top, preferably underneath its extension part 9, and may be folded or turned inwardly into the interior of the casket (as seen in Figure 1 when the casket is to be finally closed), or may be turned outwardly into a fully'extended position (seen in F ig. 2), in which position it overlies the extended part 9 of the fixed portion of the top, and as thus fully extended does not contact or overlie the outer surface of the body part 8 of portion 7 but lies wholly within the depression below said outer surface provided by the depressed ledge formed by the extended part 9 of said fixed portion 7.

The invention-being intended to be pointed out in the claims, is not to be limited to or by details of construction of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by ,the drawings or hereinbefore shown or described.

I claim:

In a burial casket; a top comprising a portion adjacent one end of the casket, in fixed relation thereto, and havingV a body part and a part spaced below said body part and extending therefrom horizontally to- Ward the other end of the casket, the top comprising also a portion adjacent said other end, swingably mounted adjacent one Side of the casket, extending horizontally toward the opposite end of the casket, and in its closed position overlying said horizontally extending part oit' the fixed portion of the top; a flexible member secured to the iixed portion of the top and adapted to be 10 turned inwardly into the interior of the Casket and also outwardly into an extended position in which position it overlies the said extended part of the fixed portion of the top and in non-oontaoting relation to the outer Surface of the body part oi" Said fixed portion.

n testimony whereof I have hereunto Set my hand at Grand Rapids, Michigan, this 19th day of February, 1923.

ROBERT A. MATHESUN. 

